Biography:
Mrs. Gwendolyn Brooks was born on June 17, 1917 in Topeka Kansas. She was the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize. She graduated from Wilson Junior College in 1936. She later went to South Side Community Arts Center in 1943 and she wrote about conflict between individual African Americans and the African American Community. She then became a teacher for writing and literature at numerous Chicago Schools. In 1949 she won the Eunice Tietjen Prize for her beautiful poetry. Mrs, Brooks wrote similar things to to Mr. Langston Hughes. They both talked about the struggle for African Americans at that time. Some of her selections are "Maud Martha" (1953), "Bronzeville Boys and Girls" (1956), and "Selected Poems" (1963). Mrs. Gwendolyn Brooks passed away on December 3, 2000.
Poem 1: "The Bean Eaters" They eat beans mostly, this old yellow pair.
Dinner is a casual affair.
Plain chipware on a plain and creaking wood.
Tin flatware.
Two who are Mostly Good.
Two who have lived their day,
But keep on putting on their clothes
And putting things away.
And remembering . . .
Remembering, with twinklings and twinges,
As they lean over the beans in their rented back room that
is full of beads and receipts and dolls and cloths,
tobacco crumbs, vases and fringes
Reaction: Knowing that Mrs. Brooks talked about the struggle
for African Americans I think this poem is about an African
American couple who have had some hard times but they are
good people who try to stay posotive and they treasure what they
have and they are proud of who they are.
Literary Devices: This poem used imagry because
you can just invision their back
room with all the things across
the floor, and you can visualize
their dinner plate and on their table.
Rhyme Scheme: A,A,B,A
B,C,D,C
E,F,G,E
Historical Context: This relates to how the African Americans
had to deal with how they were treated back
during this time. About how they were
descriminated against and given what was
left over but they still delt with it and treasured
everything they did have.
Theme: The theme was not to give up and to keep trying through hard times.
Poem 2: "We Real Cool" We real cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk Late. We
Strike straight. We
Sing sin. We
Think gin. We
Jazz June. We
Die soon.
Reaction: I relates to how people grow up because like when
you in elementary school you think your all cool and
when your in middle school you think its cool to
ditch school, but its not. Then as you age in your later
teens you stay up late and then in your 20's you are
more on the straight road and know where your going
because your in college. Then as your middle aged your
singing sin and repenting for all you did wrong when you
were younger and then you think gin about what your
gonna do with the rest of his life. Then as you get very
elderly you do what you enjoy and maybe thats music,
like Jazz and then you eventuallly die.
Literary Devices: This poem has rhyme in
like for example "sin" and
"gin" Also, Alliteration for
example "Jazz June"
Rhyme Scheme:
A,A
A,A
A,A
A,B Historical Context:
This is about people and how they
live their life and this poem was banned
for a long time because people thought it was racists.
Theme:
The theme is that everyone goes
throught the stages of life and eventually
everoyone dies.
The Crazy Woman
I shall not sing a May song.
A May song should be gay
I'll wait until November
And sing a song of gay.
I'll wait until November
that is the time for me.
I'll go out in the frosty dark
And sing most terribly.
And all the little people
Will stare at me and say.
"That is the crazy woman
That would not sing in May."
Reaction:
I think this poem is talking about
a lady who everyone thinks is crazy
because she is singing a May song
in November. The lady though does
not care if people talk about her or if
she is different because she is herself
and if singing a May song in November
pleases her.
Lieterary Devices:
This poem uses hyperbole because
it is an exaggeration of how she will sing.
Rhyme Scheme: A,B,C,B
C, D, E,F
G,B,H,B
Historical Context:
Back then when there was a good
but of discrimination and all people
were not allowed to be who they wanted
to and were not allowed to do what they
wanted to, espically African Americans.
Theme:
The theme is to always
be yourself no matter
what people think of you
just be yourself.
Bibliography
Mathematics Department. Web. 02 Mar. 2010. <http://www.math.buffalo.edu>
Mesmer, Edric S. The Best Poems Ever: a Collection of Poetry's Greatest Voices. New York: Scholastic, 2001. Print. Plowden, Martha Ward., and Ronald Jones. Famous Firsts of Black Women. Gretna, La.: Pelican Pub., 1993. Print. Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More. Web. 02 Mar. 2010. <http://www.poets.org>.
Mrs. Gwendolyn Brooks was born on June 17, 1917 in Topeka Kansas. She was the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize. She graduated from Wilson Junior College in 1936. She later went to South Side Community Arts Center in 1943 and she wrote about conflict between individual African Americans and the African American Community. She then became a teacher for writing and literature at numerous Chicago Schools. In 1949 she won the Eunice Tietjen Prize for her beautiful poetry. Mrs, Brooks wrote similar things to to Mr. Langston Hughes. They both talked about the struggle for African Americans at that time. Some of her selections are "Maud Martha" (1953), "Bronzeville Boys and Girls" (1956), and "Selected Poems" (1963). Mrs. Gwendolyn Brooks passed away on December 3, 2000.
Poem 1: "The Bean Eaters"
They eat beans mostly, this old yellow pair.
Dinner is a casual affair.
Plain chipware on a plain and creaking wood.
Tin flatware.
Two who are Mostly Good.
Two who have lived their day,
But keep on putting on their clothes
And putting things away.
And remembering . . .
Remembering, with twinklings and twinges,
As they lean over the beans in their rented back room that
is full of beads and receipts and dolls and cloths,
tobacco crumbs, vases and fringes
Reaction:
Knowing that Mrs. Brooks talked about the struggle
for African Americans I think this poem is about an African
American couple who have had some hard times but they are
good people who try to stay posotive and they treasure what they
have and they are proud of who they are.
Literary Devices:
This poem used imagry because
you can just invision their back
room with all the things across
the floor, and you can visualize
their dinner plate and on their table.
Rhyme Scheme:
A,A,B,A
B,C,D,C
E,F,G,E
Historical Context:
This relates to how the African Americans
had to deal with how they were treated back
during this time. About how they were
descriminated against and given what was
left over but they still delt with it and treasured
everything they did have.
Theme:
The theme was not to give up and to keep trying through hard times.
Poem 2: "We Real Cool"
We real cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk Late. We
Strike straight. We
Sing sin. We
Think gin. We
Jazz June. We
Die soon.
Reaction:
I relates to how people grow up because like when
you in elementary school you think your all cool and
when your in middle school you think its cool to
ditch school, but its not. Then as you age in your later
teens you stay up late and then in your 20's you are
more on the straight road and know where your going
because your in college. Then as your middle aged your
singing sin and repenting for all you did wrong when you
were younger and then you think gin about what your
gonna do with the rest of his life. Then as you get very
elderly you do what you enjoy and maybe thats music,
like Jazz and then you eventuallly die.
Literary Devices:
This poem has rhyme in
like for example "sin" and
"gin" Also, Alliteration for
example "Jazz June"
Rhyme Scheme:
A,A
A,A
A,A
A,B
Historical Context:
This is about people and how they
live their life and this poem was banned
for a long time because people thought it was racists.
Theme:
The theme is that everyone goes
throught the stages of life and eventually
everoyone dies.
The Crazy Woman
I shall not sing a May song.
A May song should be gay
I'll wait until November
And sing a song of gay.
I'll wait until November
that is the time for me.
I'll go out in the frosty dark
And sing most terribly.
And all the little people
Will stare at me and say.
"That is the crazy woman
That would not sing in May."
Reaction:
I think this poem is talking about
a lady who everyone thinks is crazy
because she is singing a May song
in November. The lady though does
not care if people talk about her or if
she is different because she is herself
and if singing a May song in November
pleases her.
Lieterary Devices:
This poem uses hyperbole because
it is an exaggeration of how she will sing.
Rhyme Scheme:
A,B,C,B
C, D, E,F
G,B,H,B
Historical Context:
Back then when there was a good
but of discrimination and all people
were not allowed to be who they wanted
to and were not allowed to do what they
wanted to, espically African Americans.
Theme:
The theme is to always
be yourself no matter
what people think of you
just be yourself.
Bibliography
Mathematics Department. Web. 02 Mar. 2010. <http://www.math.buffalo.edu>
Mesmer, Edric S. The Best Poems Ever: a Collection of Poetry's Greatest Voices. New York: Scholastic, 2001. Print.
Plowden, Martha Ward., and Ronald Jones. Famous Firsts of Black Women. Gretna, La.: Pelican Pub., 1993. Print.
Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More. Web. 02 Mar. 2010. <http://www.poets.org>.